The present invention relates to an apparatus for applying protective corner elements to palletized loads.
In particular, the apparatus is designed for use with packaging machinery for wrapping palletized loads with plastic film.
At present, several systems for applying corner pieces to palletized loads are known. In these systems, a pickup device extracts a corner piece from a magazine and transfers it to the corner of the load to be protected.
This operation presents several problems, due to the difficulty, after extracting the corner piece from the magazine, of lining it up correctly according to the position of the load, transferring it and applying it accurately to the load, all within the shortest possible space of time.
In known solutions, the devices which transfer the corner piece from the magazine to the load usually comprise a pair of rails running alongside the load. The corner piece moves along the rails until it is stopped against the corner of the load.
The use of rails, however, exposes the load to a high risk of being damaged by impact with the edge of the incoming corner piece unless complicated means are used to control the angular movement of the corner piece.